Casbaa: 100m Indian cable homes by 2012
Following reports from PricewaterhouseCoopers and Media Partners Asia, on March 18 it was the turn of the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of India (Casbaa) to turn its attention on the growing Indian market.
Focusing on cable, Casbaa’s report – Digital Vision: India in 2012 – predicts that over 100 million homes will be connected by cable networks by 2012, up from 71 million homes at the end of 2007.
Simon Twiston Davies, Casbaa’s CEO said: “With 71 million homes wired, digital television and broadband networks are set to play a vital role in India ’s economic development just as they did in Japan , Europe, the US and elsewhere. With private investment waiting in the wings to increase high-speed digital capacity for cable TV, the benefits for consumers and economy stand to be enormous.”
But Casbaa provides a note of caution in its report. The “phenomenal advantage” of India’s rapid cable TV growth is “at risk of being eroded by overly intrusive regulations. The industry in India is looking for ‘lighter-touch’ regulation appropriate for the creation of a world-class digital infrastructure as well as broadband take-up,” said Twiston Davies.
Among the measures that Casbaa would like to see are that the foreign direct investment cap for the broadcasting sector be raised to the level allowed for telcos – 74%. But recent recommendations from regulator TRAI would see just DTH operators at that level. A cable operator’s foreign investment cap would remain at 49%.
Extra money, probably from foreign investors, would be needed for the networks to move to digital broadcasting, which Casbaa estimates is likely to cost some US$15 billion.
Following reports from PricewaterhouseCoopers and Media Partners Asia, on March 18 it was the turn of the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of India (Casbaa) to turn its attention on the growing Indian market.
Focusing on cable, Casbaa’s report – Digital Vision: India in 2012 – predicts that over 100 million homes will be connected by cable networks by 2012, up from 71 million homes at the end of 2007.
Simon Twiston Davies, Casbaa’s CEO said: “With 71 million homes wired, digital television and broadband networks are set to play a vital role in India ’s economic development just as they did in Japan , Europe, the US and elsewhere. With private investment waiting in the wings to increase high-speed digital capacity for cable TV, the benefits for consumers and economy stand to be enormous.”
But Casbaa provides a note of caution in its report. The “phenomenal advantage” of India’s rapid cable TV growth is “at risk of being eroded by overly intrusive regulations. The industry in India is looking for ‘lighter-touch’ regulation appropriate for the creation of a world-class digital infrastructure as well as broadband take-up,” said Twiston Davies.
Among the measures that Casbaa would like to see are that the foreign direct investment cap for the broadcasting sector be raised to the level allowed for telcos – 74%. But recent recommendations from regulator TRAI would see just DTH operators at that level. A cable operator’s foreign investment cap would remain at 49%.
Extra money, probably from foreign investors, would be needed for the networks to move to digital broadcasting, which Casbaa estimates is likely to cost some US$15 billion.